Duma
by 783c9v3s
Summary: Her father died. She has to move to New York city to live with her mother, but not without Duma and Sanaa, her two best friends, also wild animals. Unfortunately, her mother is a money hungry whore. So, to save Duma, she has to get them back to Africa.
1. Chapter 1

**I couldn't think of any other name, so I used the one from the movie that gave me the inspiration, Duma, which is a very nice movie.**

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The death of a loved one normally causes extreme emotional distress, brief depression, and alcoholism. But when Richard Montez died, it turned his daughter's life upside-down.

You see, After Vietnam, Richard, who had been drafted, found himself drunk in a bar somewhere in the US. After his seventh beer, a woman walked in, and she was very beautiful. Under normal circumstances, he would have been too shy to talk to her. But in his inebriated state, he found himself walking over to her, buying her a drink, and then renting a motel room.

The next morning, they realized that they forgot to use a condom, and Maria, the Hispanic woman that was in the bed with him, expressed her disdain for children. But Richard wanted kids, so they made a deal. If she was pregnant, he would take the child, and pay her fifty bucks a month to let him kept it.

Maria, who had a love of money, agreed. And nine months later, Gabriella Montez was born.

Maria went to New York City, and Richard went to Zambia, Africa, to take of the farm that his grandfather had abandoned. It's a couple of hours outside the city, by car, and it was the there that Gabriella called home.

Despite the fact that she never had a mother figure, Gabriella turned out just fine. In fact, come would say that she's the perfect woman. Her father taught her his morals and values. One, being that money isn't important, and that life, culture, and happiness, can't be bought. While Gabriella might not be the strongest girl, she sure is skilled with a knife. Her father was a green beret, and he taught her everything he knew.

Even though he didn't really know her mother, he figured that she got her incredible smarts and wit from her, and her amazing connection with animals. He was wrong though, Gabriella got it from him.

When Gabriella was eleven, they found a baby cheetah. While Richard looked around for his mother, Gabriella bundled him up in a blanket. Safe to say, when Richard came back, Gabriella had already grown attached to the cute little fellow.

So they brought him home, and before too long, he became a part of the family. Their only problem was naming him. And after a month, Duma was officially named. However, Richard made it clear to her that Duma was a wild animal, and they would eventually have to bring him back to the wild where he belonged.

About a week after finding Duma, Gabriella found a baby bush baby that was lost from his mother. She nursed it back from its weak state, and when she let it leave, he came back. It seemed animals liked Gabriella. She named the bush baby Sanaa, and after a fatal meeting with Duma, they became close friends.

Yes, life couldn't have been better for Gabriella.

But all good things must come to an end. And a few days after her eighteenth birthday, Richard had a heart attack. The doctor told him not to get out of bed for two weeks. But Richard only waited a week before running down the stairs. It was then he realized that he didn't have much time left in his life. And he wanted his last moments to be happy. So he and Gabriella planned a trip where they would bring Duma out into the wild, in a nice place, teach him a few things, and then leave him off.

Gabriella wasn't exactly ecstatic about it. Duma was her best friend, but she knew that he had to go off. Cheetahs only live for about twenty years. And he was seven years old. Wild was in his blood, and he had to spend the rest of his life in the wild before it was too late.

But the day before their big trip, Richard had another heart attack. And this time, he didn't make it.

Now, her father had taught her a lot. And death was one of those topics. He told her that death was inevitable, and that it happened to everyone, wither they liked it or not. He also told her that if she sulked over his death, he would come back and haunt her.

She tried not to be sad, but her father was her world. And now she was being sent to live her mother in New York. And since her father left her a lot in his will, she was able to pay for Duma and Sanaa to come with her.

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**If you like, review.**


	2. Chapter 2

"What the hell is that!"

Gabriella looked down at the crate that Duma was in, and then back up at the woman that was supposed to be her mother. "That's Duma."

The social worker walked over to Maria and gave her a few papers. "The animal was paid for, and is completely harmless."

She looked at the old weighty man with disdain. "That…thing is not going into my house." Gabriella wondered if she was talking about her or Duma.

The social worker shook his head. "You don't have a choice madam…And here is the first five hundred for the first month. I'll be by next week to give you the next five hundred." Richard left in his will, that if he died, Gabriella would go to Maria. And because he didn't keep in touch with her, he didn't know if she had any money. So he gave a thousand to help her get on her feet, just in case.

Maria's eyes lit up, and she seemed to have forgotten about Duma. "Right…let's go then." Gabriella opened the car door and then Dumas crate. Duma hoped inside, and Gabriella followed. Maria turned her head to looked back to say something, but when she saw Duma with his head on Gabriella's lap, she crinkled her nose in disgust before starting the car. "So…Gabriella…Tomorrow you have school. I signed you up, it's one of the best schools in the state, and…you're going."

Gabriella barely even heard her. She was too busy staring at the skyscrapers and hundreds of people that seemed to be rushing along. She had never seen so many people at the same time, and the buildings looked like they were challenging the clouds.

They soon came to a building that looked like all the others. Maria parked the car, and Gabriella got out, with Sanaa hiding in her hair, on her neck, and Duma standing very close to her. "You're lucky the landlord allows pets." Maria commented while waiting for Gabriella to grab her suitcase.

But Gabriella didn't have a suitcase. She was able to fit all her things in a backpack. "What?" She asked, wondering why her mother was staring at her impatiently.

"Where's your bag?" Gabriella pointed to her bag on her back. "That's it?" She nodded. Maria seemed appalled. "Well I guess we're going to have to go shopping aren't we." She led Gabriella inside, and while Gabriella walked over to the stairs, Maria pressed the button for the elevator. "Nobody uses the stairs. We have this thing called an elevator, and it goes up and down without us having to move."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. Maria must have thought she was an idiot. She may never have used an elevator, but she knew what they were. She just liked stairs. "Why doesn't anyone use the stairs?"

The elevator door opened and they went in. "Because we have this." Maria sounded like it was the obvious answer.

Duma looked a little frantic for a second when they started going up. But he quickly calmed down when Gabriella pet his head.

"Welcome home." Maria exclaimed when she opened her door and let Gabriella in. She stared at Duma for a second before quickly closing the door and turning on the light. "You can make one of the guest rooms yours and your…animals can live with you."

Gabriella just nodded her head and went to the room Maria had been pointing at. She turned on the light and sighed at the emptiness of the room. Her room back home was filled with posters and pictures. All she had now was a bed and a window.

She dropped her bag and took her hair out of the messy bun before dropping on the bed. She didn't even bother to use the blankets. Duma climbed up and cuddled into her side, purring as she pet him slowly. Sanaa squeaked as he jumped on the bed and snuggled on Gabriella's stomach.

She stared up the ceiling for a few moments, sighing at the noise of car horns. She didn't think she could ever get used to all the noise. Or the city.

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"How do I look?" Sanaa squeaked, and Duma covered his eyes with his paws. The sight of Gabriella in a skirt, looking like a total preppy was not something they were used to. Gabriella chuckled at their reaction. "Thanks for the support." She turned towards the door and started to walk, but when she heard Duma get off the bed, she went back over and buried her face in his furry neck. "I'll be back. I promise. But you've got to stay here." Gabriella whispered against Duma, who wanted to follow her. She grabbed her now empty backpack and reached for the door handle. But she heard a squeaked and felt Sanaa land on her shoulder. "Not today." She grabbed Sanaa and put him on top of Duma's head.

She smiled at them before walking out. She took the stairs, not wanting to use the elevator. She walked out of the building and suddenly realized that she had no idea where the school was. It seemed Maria forgot to give her directions.

Before she had a chance to really ponder about it, a bus came up in front of her. When she didn't get on, the bus driver grunted for her to get on. Not wanting to get the old man any angrier, she got on and tried not to fall when the bus started to suddenly move.

The bus was basically empty. In fact, there were only three other students on the bus. She sat down in a seat and realized that the bus was starting to slow down. When the bus came to a stop, she walked up to the bus driver and said, "Don't pick me up anymore."

He grunted his reply as she got off. There were a lot of students already there. It seemed none of the students like the bus, seeing that none of them took it. "Wow." She muttered to herself. It was the biggest school she had ever seen.

She heard the bell ring and people started moving inside. So, not really knowing what to do, she followed them.

The hallway was really wide, and the lockers seemed pristine. She tapped the shoulder of a kid that seemed to be a freshman. He turned towards her with wide eyes. "Where's the principle?" Her voice was soft and sweet, despite the ache in her heart. He pointed to a door a few feet away. She gave him a smile as her thanks and walked away.

"You must be Gabriella." The old woman said, as soon as she saw Gabriella at her door.

She only put on her best smile. "Yeah, that's me."

The old woman looked like she had been very beautiful and elegant when she was young. "I'm principle Victoria. Welcome to East High…Now I don't want to keep you because classes just started. So here's your schedule" she handed Gabriella a piece of paper. "And I'll show you to your first class." She started to lead Gabriella out.

Gabriella trailed closely behind her, trying her best to walk in the high heels that came with the uniform. Gabriella isn't used to wearing high heels. Actually, she isn't use to wearing any type of shoe.

"Here you are dear. I hope you enjoy your first day."

Gabriella just watched her retreating form for a second before going in the classroom that seemed to become dead silent as soon as she entered. The teacher, who was covered in jewelry, turned towards her and smiled. "Hello dear."

"Hi. I'm the new student." Gabriella voice stayed soft and calm, telling everyone that she wasn't nervous.

"Well, welcome to East High…" Gabriella handed her schedule to her. "Gabriella. Would you like to tell us a little something about yourself?" Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "Where are you from?"

"Zambia." When it seemed that no one knew where that was, she added. "Africa." Whispers broke out.

"Wow. That's…remarkable. I'm sure you'll love your time here. But, until you become familiar with everything…Troy, will be your guide." She tilted her head at the name, wondering who this Troy was. "Troy. Stand up."

She turned her head and her eyes got caught in the most beautiful blue she's ever seen. His shaggy hair was messy, and his stature was so well built, you'd think he was sculpted. And it seemed he was examining her as much as she was him.

Just then the bell rang, and students started getting up. Troy walked up to her and held his hand out. "Hi."

She looked down at his hand for a second before extending hers. "Hi." Gabriella waited for him to start telling her where her classes were, but he just kept staring at her. "You wanna tell me where my math class is?"

He snapped out of his little daze and took the schedule from her hands. "Sorry." He muttered. "Oh, wow. You're in all the advance classes."

Gabriella snatched the paper back. "I am?"

"Troy. Come on. We're gonna be late." A girl said with a slightly shrill voice and dark blond hair. She practically draped herself on Troy.

Troy looked at her with a hint of disdain. "I can't go with you Sharpay. I have to show the new kid around."

It was then that Sharpay turned her attention towards Gabriella. An obvious glare was set on her face as she scanned Gabriella. "Oh right, the African."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow before putting on a fake smile. "You know what. I can find my classes by myself. Thanks though."

Before Troy could even say anything, she was gone. "Why the fuck did you do that Shar?"

Sharpay put an innocent look on. "Do what? Troy I'm your girlfriend, and did you see the way she was looking at you." Troy shook his head and started walking towards his first class.

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The day had gone by really, really slowly. They were teaching things that she already knew, and the fact that everyone kept whispering about her made it go even slower. It's not that she cared; it was just really annoying that's all.

In the two classes that she had with Troy, she found him staring at her. And he kept staring at her during lunch too. It made her a little uncomfortable. If he kept staring at her tomorrow, she was going to tell him to stop.

Walking out of the school, she wanted to get home as fast as possible. "Gabriella." She turned around after recognizing the voice. It was Troy. He had an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry about earlier today. Sharpay is just…a little closed minded."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. I want to apologize for her." Troy actually sounded like he just wanted more time with Gabriella.

She held her hand up. "Troy, it's fine. I really don't care."

Troy smiled and she started to walk off. But he quickly caught up to her. "Are you really from Africa?"

Gabriella stopped for a second to take her shoes off. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"A little bit." Troy admitted, wondering why she took her shoes off.

She shook her head. "If I was from the north pole, that would be hard to believe."

"What are you doing?"

She turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm walking home."

He shook his head with a tiny smile. "Why did you take off your shoes?"

Gabriella simply shrugged her shoulders. "I prefer to not wear shoes. Especially ones that are so high."

Troy found himself intrigued by this girl. She wasn't like other girls. "And you're walking home?"

"I said that already." Gabriella didn't know why he kept asking her questions and walking with her.

"But you're barefoot."

Crossing her arms, she stopped walking and turned to face him. "Is there something you want, Troy?"

He looked at her for a moment. Not really sure how to answer her. He had a girlfriend, so what was he doing? All her knew was the he didn't want to leave her. "Can I…walk you home?"

Gabriella just chuckled. "See you tomorrow Troy." Before he could say anything else, she walked off, and he was so shocked, he didn't go after her.

No girl has ever rejected him before. Granted he has a girlfriend and shouldn't care that she technically rejected him, but there was just something about Gabriella that made his heart beat faster and his eyes see stars.

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"Oh I missed you two." Gabriella said as she was jumped on by Duma and Sanaa as soon as she entered her room. Duma licked at her face while Sanaa immediately sought the warmth and comfort on Gabriella's shoulder, snuggling into the neck.

At the sound of the door slamming shut, Gabriella shushed Duma and Sanaa. "I am telling you, I have a real, live, cheetah in my house…She has some sort of weird connection with it…No, she won't be a problem. She'll be at school…I've got three other offers, you pay cash or the deal is off."

It was obvious that Maria was talking about Duma, and Gabriella felt her heart stop at the thought losing Duma. She took Sanaa in her hands and looked at both him and Duma in the eyes. "We're gonna get out here."

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**I know it's a strange story, but I just watched Duma, and my mind has been set on it. And don't worry, there will be plenty of Troyella action later.**

**Please review if you like it. **


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